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Our Mission

Benedictine University is an inclusive academic community dedicated to teaching and learning, scholarship and service, truth and justice, as inspired by the Catholic intellectual tradition, the social teaching of the Church, and the principles of wisdom in the Rule of St. Benedict.

Our Vision

Benedictine University aspires to be a thought leader in Catholic higher education. We seek to provide a transformative and integrative educational experience grounded in Benedictine values, helping students shape lives of meaning and purpose as engaged citizens who care for the earth, welcome people of diverse faiths and cultures, and promote the common good.

Our Motto: Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus — That in all things God may be glorified.

“All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’ (Matthew 25:35). Proper honor must be shown to all.”

—The Rule of St. Benedict

To challenge American individualism and notions of tolerance, Benedictine University is partnering with the Interfaith Youth Core to create a binding narrative of Healing Hospitality in the 2017-2018 school year. Through investigation of the definition of hospitality within “The Rule of St. Benedict” (Rule), sharing personal hospitality narratives and living out hospitality in daily life within our local community, we invite the Benedictine community to deepen its commitment to honor and respect all.

A published, bound journal will be culmination of the Healing Hospitality initiative, and will feature 50 personal narratives written by Benedictine students. The journal will be published in spring 2018.

How Can I Be Involved?

Tell your story! Anyone in the BenU community is eligible to submit a 300-word personal reflection on hospitality. Check out the list of prompts and readings by clicking the button below. Submit your reflection to kheidelberger@ben.edu or mbenham@ben.edu by November 13, 2017 for it to be considered for publication.

Why Hospitality?

Benedictine University is located in the religiously, culturally and politically diverse Chicago area. Because we exist in a nexus of political and religious difference, we are well-suited to offer Healing Hospitality both on campus and in the local community. We have chosen hospitality to be our moral and spiritual civic virtue because it is a common value across religious, cultural and political differences, and it is a distinctive Benedictine hallmark.

By integrating our binding narrative into the classroom, campus events and local community, we will provide students and community members with the tools needed to create binding narratives in a divided American society. America’s narrative of tolerance is crumbling because tolerance is passive and non-committal in nature. At BenU, our goal is to challenge the narrative of tolerance through readings and supplemental materials in the General Education curriculum designed to work toward a Benedictine definition of hospitality that is both healing and actively inclusive for all citizens.

Goal One

Push the theme of hospitality beyond a basic definition toward one that requires sacrifice and inclusion to help heal division.

Goal Two

Develop the traits of good citizenship, and gain knowledge and skills necessary for civic engagement.

(BenU General Education Learning Goal—Social Responsibility)

Goal Three

Enhance the University mission to be inspired by the wisdom of the Rule of St. Benedict.